


From Beneath the Gold

by disaster_bi_jupiter



Category: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Awkward Flirting, Bi-Gender Character(s), Bisexual Kino Makoto, Bisexual Tsukino Usagi, Blood, Blood and Injury, Blood and Violence, Everyone Is Gay, Explicit Language, F/F, Friendship, Genderfluid Character, Minor Original Character(s), Modern Era, Multi, Multiple Pairings, NOT heavy at all on the usamamo sorry not sorry but I tagged it bc it's technically a thing, Nonbinary Character, Nonbinary Tenoh Haruka, POV Alternating, POV Multiple, Post-Canon, Useless Lesbians, Violence, everyone is gay (or bi) as hell, low-key lots of awkward queer flirting and coming-outs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-27
Updated: 2021-03-17
Packaged: 2021-03-18 07:21:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29730363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/disaster_bi_jupiter/pseuds/disaster_bi_jupiter
Summary: Years have passed since the defeat of Galaxia when a new threat arises suddenly, seemingly from within the earth itself. Complicated by long-distance relationships, a quickly-adapting roster of powerful enemies and monsters, and new responsibilities (and lies) to dodge, the inner (and eventually outer) senshi fight again.
Relationships: Chiba Mamoru/Tsukino Usagi, Inner Senshi/Inner Senshi, Kaiou Michiru/Meiou Setsuna/Tenoh Haruka, Kaiou Michiru/Tenoh Haruka, Sailor Senshi/Sailor Senshi
Kudos: 6





	1. A Futile Haggling; A Coming Out; A Beginning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll be trying my best to add content warnings for each chapter. Update: I now use my work skin to make cw text the background color so those who prefer to avoid spoilers & don't need them can do so! Highlight the text to view warnings.

**Content Warnings for this chapter:**

  * alcohol.

  


* * *

  


_"And this, and this, and this, and this."_

The jazzy, soulful old-fashioned pop music wafted in over the foyer speaker. Makoto sighed patiently.

Her friend had amassed a large handful of small, chibi-style idol figurines.

“Will that be it?”

“Yes.”

The cashier bent to close and lock the glass display counter, brushing her long silky fringe bangs behind one ear. She punched briefly on a calculator.

“That will be 9,072 yen, please.”

The blonde’s affect changed immediately to one of regret. “Uh, wait,” she said, with a nervous laugh, and shifting confidently to lean on one hip. Then, with a higher voice, “So that’s...”

“1200 yen each, plus tax,” the young woman said, smiling but visibly tense. She exchanged a momentary glance with Makoto, then looked back to her customer. “Um…?” she started.

_“Well, actually, what I didn’t tell you is...”_ the girl interrupted, plopping her elbows down suddenly to lean on the counter, swaying and jutting a finger at the startled cashier, _“I’m a bit of an up-and-coming idol myself.”_

_"Minako-"_

_“So, uh...”_ Minako took a moment to gather her thoughts, palms pressed on the glass counter, staring greedily at the figurines.

“So, you’re… not going to buy all these?” the cashier offered. She fiddled idly with the display key.

The bell dinged as a young man entered off the street, joining a couple more customers in waiting awkwardly behind them.

Makoto laughed nervously.

“Well, I mean, I _could,_ obviously...” Minako said, “but, you know, you’d be doing us both a favor if… you know…” The blonde winked. “… you’d give me-” She leaned in. “ _Aino Minako, of the Keio Talent Agency,_ by the way — a couple free of charge.”

Makoto slapped her on the back, forcing a smile. _“Minako-chan, we should-”_

Minako waved off her friend without taking her eyes off the now-sweating cashier. She spotted the loyalty punch-cards and swooped in. “ _Oh!_ And of _course_ I’ll take a point-card too… This is my _favorite_ bar-… shop…” She grinned and looked at Makoto for emphasis.

“ _Minako-chan,_ we _hardly_ come here,” Makoto whispered, this time leaning in and tugging on her friend’s t-shirt sleeve desperately. “Let’s go.”

“Well, that doesn’t mean that we _won’t_ be coming here…” the flushed girl stated with stifled annoyance. “Right?” she turned to grin charismatically at the young cashier.

The woman laughed weakly and gave a pained smile. “Um-”

“Then how about _just — this — one?_ ” Minako took a step back, easing up her deathgrip on the counter space and snatching up the first item she had selected, a keychain of a winking woman with a microphone and golden spiky hair emulated in plastic. “I can…” She sidled up to the counter again, covering one side of her mouth with her hand as if whispering to the cashier although Makoto was certain everyone could hear them. “… take a picture of it, post it to my IG, be like… _‘Look what I got from this super-cute place downtown. Everyone check it out!’_ ”

“I’m sorry, I can’t…” the cashier was smiling awkwardly, holding one palm up in a motion to end the conversation while covering her mouth with the other hand in an apparent attempt to keep from laughing. Makoto saw her glance over to make desperate eye contact with the bartender in the rear section of the establishment, who nodded discreetly and took a step in their direction.

_“Mi-na-ko.”_ The brunette grabbed her friend’s arm fiercely and began to walk toward the exit, jerking the bargaining woman such that she was forced to take a step back.

“-I’ll bring a _signed_ copy of my upcoming album,” Minako was explaining, beginning to slur her speech, giggling boisterously and gesturing at the clerk as if spreading wild gossip with an old friend. _“… complementary!-”_

Her remaining hand was finally ripped free of its grip on the glass counter with a suction-y _‘smmck’_ that made Makoto think of octopus suckers.

“ _Ow!_ Mako-chan!…”

The taller girl smiled sympathetically, bowing self-consciously as the pair retreated toward the door, mouthing _‘Sorry!’_ to the blushing, confused cashier who waved in return. The growing line now finally moved forward toward the counter, filling in the space they had been occupying.

With one more forceful step for Makoto, and one more stumbling lurch on Minako’s part, the two women exited the idol-themed bar-and-gift-shop and stepped into the humid evening air.

Minako brushed off the front of her jumper and smoothed her skirt, then noticed she was being left behind. “Uh, wait!” She ran the short distance to catch up to her still-walking friend. “Hey, you didn’t need to do that back there, I was _coming!_ ”

Makoto just rolled her eyes and ignored the comment, though she smiled at the relief of the outdoor air. She stretched, lacing her fingers, and rested her folded arms behind her head as they walked.

Minako swayed her way down the ginkgo-tree-lined sidewalk and stumbled into Makoto, sighing. “Ugh, I just REALLY wanted that Yuzuki keychain. _It’s limited edition!_ ” she added, almost hitting her friend in the face with her gesturing. Her eyes seemed to sparkle in the twilight.

Makoto ducked and moved an arms-length away from her drunk companion, laughing. _“Minako-chan...”_ she said, still embarrassed. “Why not just buy that one?”

“It’s overpriced.” The pair turned a corner and started down another commercial block peppered with bars, restaurants, and occasional shopkeepers sweeping. It was surprisingly quiet for a Friday night. Minako dramatically crossed her arms, pouting. “Besides, I mean… how many other _actual_ musicians do you think probably go there?”

“Probably a lot-”

“They should feel _lucky_ to have me offer to promote their business!” Minako slammed a fist into her other hand, interrupting.

Makoto burst out laughing.

_“What?”_ Minako side-eyed the brunette, suddenly acting hurt.

“Nothing!” Makoto put up her hands innocently. Then she felt a rare beckoning to mischief. She glanced sideways at Minako. Her blood alcohol level demanded that she give in. “But… have you even put out an album yet?”

Minako gasped. _“Yes, I have!!”_ she said indignantly. “Well, it was an EP…”

Makoto cracked up, doubling over. “I’m joking though,” she stated affectionately. “I love your music-”

“Then _why_ drag me out? When I was trying to make a _deal!_ ”

Makoto practically sweat-dropped. “I’m pretty sure _they_ were about to kick you out,” she muttered.

“Oh… wait really?” Minako blushed, jerking a hand behind her head to fiddle nervously with the back of her long hair.

“Yep,” Makoto stated matter-of-factly. But the fact was the street was about to run out and they needed to turn soon or they would wander aimlessly into a residential area. “So where are we going?”

An unmistakable gleam entered Minako’s flushed face as she made knowing eye contact with her friend. “Karaoke?”

“Sounds good.”

They turned off to the right. It was a smaller street with a smaller sidewalk, mainly pedestrian this time of night, so they walked in the middle of the asphalt road. As the sun set on Minato-ku, Tokyo, a couple illuminated signs buzzed to life as they passed.

_“Hey, Mako-chan,”_ Minako started, clasping her hands innocently, her turn to spark mischief. “I didn’t make you _embarrassed_ to be with me, did I?”

“N-no!” Makoto began to reassure her friend.

Meanwhile Minako made a sound in between a giggle and a cackle, ready to bask in the compliments or drama, whichever ensued.

“I mean… _yes,_ but…” Makoto gave up. “ _I just hate being rude!_ That woman was just trying to do her job,” she vented. “Just because you’ve never worked in service, Minako…” She clenched her fists in angst, then stopped herself.

“Music is a service to the people,” Minako beamed, continuing to seem increasingly drunk.

The pair continued to stumble their way to the ‘usual’ karaoke venue of late, which was about a block and a half away.

Makoto laughed, shaking her head. “That’s really not what I meant.” Though not as wasted as her companion, the world had begun to gently spin a few blocks ago, and she now felt that the last shot she had taken, about five minutes before they left the place, was kicking in.

She clasped her hands near her chest, expressing her internal swoon. She shuffled her feet as she walked. “I guess also… I just especially didn’t want to be rude to that _cuute_ girl.”

“Hm…” Minako thought, scuffing her sparkly gold flats on a rough patch on the road as she stumbled. “Was she cute? I didn’t notice… _Wait._ ” Minako’s energy level seemed to immediately pick up and she swayed toward her tipsy friend.

“Wait…” the blonde repeated, leaning over toward Makoto, who was broken out of her reverie. “Mako-chan… _Do you like girls?_ ”

Makoto literally stopped in her tracks. “Uh…”

Minako glared at her with a fierce curiosity, now stopped in front of her, leaning forward, wrists on her hips. She gave an expression that stated _‘Well?’_

“Um, uh-” Makoto flushed, her heart suddenly racing. “Well, _yeah!_ I mean, I didn’t think I was that subtle. I know I haven’t really _come out_ to you guys or anything but…” She averted eye contact, staring at the closest gutter.

“Oh?” Minako came closer.

“I guess I realized… I mean, you know, the whole thing with…” Makoto twirled a section of her curly ponytail on her index finger, nervously.

Then Minako was suddenly on the other side of her, leaning in and elbowing her in the ribs. How that had happened without her noticing, Makoto could only attribute to either her increasing tipsiness or the dramatic blonde’s mysterious abilities when it came to discussions of love.

Minako grabbed hold of the fabric of Makoto’s top, leaning in significantly. She whispered, _“Mako-chan.”_

_“What?”_ The stronger girl bristled. She turned to face her friend, tempted to slap her hand away. “I didn’t think it would be a big deal.” Her heart churned. She prepared herself for the response. _‘How could you give up on men?’ ‘Oh, you mean Haruka-san?’ ‘Wait ‘til I tell the others.’_ She steadied herself, taking a slow breath, heart beating louder in her chest, suddenly realizing the enormity of this conversation. She braced herself, then, “I just-”

_“No!”_ Minako said emphatically, shaking her head, and poked her painfully in the arm, gesturing dead ahead. Through gritted teeth, she announced, “I mean, _Mako-chan, what’s that?!_ ”

There was a bench in the middle of the road. It didn’t appear that it was merely placed there. It seemed to be _growing_ out of the middle of the road, or just to the right of the middle of the road from their point of view, several doors down from their destination. Thick vines emanating from cracks in the black asphalt, covered in spikes and leaves that gave off an otherworldly quality, though Makoto couldn’t quite place what quality that was, encircled it.

“Is that a _bench?_ ” Minako whispered.

“Uh…”

“That’s _weird,_ right? Like, _us_ weird?” Minako said through gritted teeth, gesturing to herself as if being discreet. She took a breath, shaking her head slightly and suddenly emerging more sober, or… at least of more sober judgment, if not actual alcohol level. “Should we…?” Minako, in addition to being a drama-craving ‘basic bitch’ at times, was also the designated leader of a group of warriors who provided a supernatural defense – of the solar system and also in particular of their princess, an infinitely powerful, equally ditzy woman who they in fact had plans to see later that night.

After a moment of hesitation on both of their parts, Minako unzipped her purse and procured her transformation pen, making eye contact with Makoto which told her to follow suit.

“Venus…” the blonde whispered.

_“Wait!”_ Makoto slapped a hand over her friend’s mouth, to her surprise. She surveyed the area. “We should at least find cover. If something’s happening here, we don’t know who could be watching.”

_“Oh, come on!”_ The drunk ‘goddess of love’ spread her arms in exaggerated annoyance, yelling loudly into the night air. “No one’s here! And besides, it’s not like we don’t look _exactly the same_ after we transform!” She declared, lowering her voice toward the end of the sentence, but still causing Makoto to glance around apprehensively.

The tall girl once again yanked her friend, this time grabbing her by the upper arm and leading her around a corner, to an alleyway.

The brunette laughed nervously. “Yeah, that’s true, but…” She looked in front of them and behind, returning to seriousness. “I just feel better about it if we’re discreet. We don’t even know what’s happening yet.”

The less-drunk of the two warriors, feeling her stomach somersault as she mentally adjusted from one source of adrenaline to another, felt the side of her long, pleated skirt for her pocket. A sense of power, of calm, filled her as her fingers met with her own transformation aid. _It’s been a while,_ she thought. But this was it. It was needed. After steadying herself, the woman whipped the green pen out of her pocket.

“Jupiter…”

_“Wait!…”_ Makoto almost fell on her face in surprise when Minako rushed over and reached up a finger to shush her.

_“What?!”_ The eager fighter swatted her friend’s hand away from her lips.

Minako looked around them before briefly laughing, then continuing, “Well, it’s just that… _I’m_ wasted… You don’t seem too sober either.” She looked down at the ground, blinking thoughtfully.

“Oh, yeah…” Makoto scratched the back of her neck, embarrassed.

“Maybe we should…”

“Call the others,” Makoto finished.

Minako nodded.

After a brief debate of _‘No, you.’_ ‘No, use _yours._ ' and an awkward pause during which Minako fished through her cluttered purse to at last find her old orange wristwatch, the two women looked on as Minako, nodding for the other girl’s approval, flipped open the star-embossed cover and pressed the ‘group call’ button.

  


* * *

  


A persistent beep awoke Usagi from the nap she had accidentally taken — because of course she had — as she rolled over on her pink comforter.

“Mmmmm,” she murmured, her first salient thought being how unfair it was to be prematurely awakened. A vague feeling of peace and sweetness regarding the flurry of interrupted thoughts she had been ripped from made her think she had probably been dreaming about a cookie. _Or maybe multiple cookies._

The platinum-blonde girl sighed, prepared to groggily sit up, but suddenly noticed the annoying beep was accompanied by a flashing light, emanating from her bag on the floor. Immediately awake, she jumped to her feet, retrieving her communicator and plopping back down on the bed, rubbing her eyes.

She answered.

Minako’s face appeared on the screen. “Hey! I’m sorry… it’s just…” She looked off-screen to make eye contact with someone standing next to her, and then Makoto butted into view as well.

Minako continued, “We’re just _really drunk._ ” She smiled apologetically.

Makoto clasped her hands in front of her. “I think we need you all to come as soon as possible.”




**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO I wrote this first chapter in my head like on the way home from work or something random like that just before the pandemic? And then this chapter turned into a thing, and then this story turned into a WHOLE, PLANNED thing, and now I have many chapters (not yet finished tho) which I finally decided to start posting little by little.
> 
> notes regarding what is "canon" hereabouts!: I'll be assuming manga versions of events happened, then extra bits from crystal & original anime when they don't directly conflict with the manga in a major way. Even though it's only a few years after season 5 it takes place in more or less the present day because don't think too hard about it lol
> 
> I hope ya enjoy! :)


	2. A Meeting; A Memory; A Return

**CW:**

  * alcohol mention.
  * past trauma/implied PTSD mention. 



  


* * *

  


When the reincarnated princess arose, it was with a new sense of urgency and duty imbuing her with a new wave of calm and focus.

“We’re fine,” Makoto had reassured them. “ _Basically,_ nothing’s happened so far. But we’ll explain when you get here.”

Usagi didn’t forget her purse, communicator, _or_ cell phone, although she did almost forget the latter on her bed before running back for it.

Her parents' house still smelled like the pancakes of late brunch, and Usagi’s footsteps seemed to echo significantly louder in the dark house. With her parents and brother gone for the evening, Usagi paused to unlock and re-lock the front door before stepping out onto the small driveway.

The creak of wicker furniture followed by the small thuds of four landing paws issued from the porch behind her, and the girl turned to see Luna trotting to her from the chair she had been resting on.

“Luna!”

Perhaps by some instinct or by seeing the look on her face, the black cat’s gaze immediately filled with a knowing concern. She jumped down the porch step. “ _Where_ are you going?”

“I got a call from Mako and Minako-chan. Something weird is happening, they think.”

Luna nodded curtly, running to catch up the rest of the way to the blonde, as the pair reached the end of the paved driveway.

“What did they say? Where are you meeting? Did you remember your communicator _and_ cell phone? Do you want me to come with you?”

"It'll be quicker if I fill you in later. And of _course._ " Usagi gritted her teeth, irked. She left out the part about nearly leaving her phone on the bed. She was suddenly restless and itching to leave, feeling a familiar but long-absent calling to duty. She looked over the residential rooftops at the setting sun. Usagi lived on the side of town furthest from the location in question of all the inner senshi, and it was already getting dark; she should hurry to meet with her friends.

Luna scampered to the edge of the road, stopping to stand in Usagi's path as they reached the front gate. "Are you sure you don't want me to come?"

"It'll be faster on my own-"

"Then tell me where to meet and I'll go collect Artemis."

“Luna, I’m _20 years old._ I’m _responsible_ now, trust me.” Usagi tilted her head, smiling charmingly at her guardian despite her annoyance. "It's at some karaoke place, I remember where but, you know, I'm bad at directions, so... it'll be faster if I just go..." She leaned and gestured in the direction she should be walking, then clasped her hands pleadingly.

The alien cat sighed. "Oh, alright."

Usagi stepped past the cat and hurried down the hilly road.

"I'll be in the control room — you'll call if anything happens, won't you?" Luna called from behind as Usagi sped to a jog.

The thin breeze picked up strands of the blonde's impossibly long hair, which she brushed out of her face as she called back, "Yes!"

Usagi slowed to a walk as she reached the nearest subway entrance and descended, hugging her half-sleeve blouse around her as the airflow gusted. _I hope everything's okay,_ she thought. But she had a good feeling. Minako and Makoto hadn't seemed very worried, only concerned and cautious. Despite the adrenaline rush of a potential new enemy, Usagi felt confident. _We're all experienced warriors by now; we could handle anything._

Appropriate ticket in hand, she made her way to the platform and found a seat in an uncrowded car.

The vehicle sped jerkily around the bends. Her ride was silent except for the soothing white noise, leaving the woman to her thoughts.

When Usagi's destination stop arrived, the future queen rose and pushed through the small crowd, exiting. Usagi was prepared to handle this — her potential first supernatural challenge of adulthood — with appropriate seriousness.

That is, until she saw the sight of the drunken senshi, which made her burst out laughing nearly to tears.

  


When Usagi arrived, all of her inner-guardian friends except for Rei were gathered around near the sidewalk of the small street. Minako and Mercury, who was transformed, were bent around something Usagi couldn't quite see, and Makoto stood back watching with crossed arms.

As the bun-haired girl jogged up the sidewalk to them, Minako giggled and reached to poke something. Mercury swatted her hand away, stammering _"N-no-no-no!"_ in a tone of hushed panic, which caused Minako to giggle harder and lean over into Makoto, who let out a frustrated sigh, patting the hysterical girl's back.

"Hey, everyone!" Usagi announced, out of breath.

As all three heads turned to greet her, she was met with a chorus of _"Usagi-chan!"_ as Ami and Makoto smiled and called her name at a normal volume, and Minako screamed it. Makoto slapped her hand over the other blonde's mouth, shushing her, and as Minako cackled, half muffled, leaning harder, the two of them somehow managed to smoothly but gracelessly topple to the ground.

Usagi lost her shit. "Ohh, you weren't joking about being wasted..." she said, stifled through her fingers, before she eventually allowed herself to succumb to laughter. It seemed like if civilians were going to come investigate the ruckus they would have done so already.

As Makoto stumbled to her feet, brushing herself off and muttering irritatedly at Minako, the latter continued to laugh from her place on the asphalt, pointing at the still-hidden object and calling for Usagi to, "Look, look!"

As Usagi came closer she saw Mercury was typing on her handheld computer, concentrating over a vine-covered fire hydrant.

"What's that?!" she asked her blue-haired friend as she strode up to look over her shoulder.

"I'm not sure." Mercury continued with ease, not even looking up, ignoring the loud chattering from the other two, as she held the small laptop in one hand and typed rapidly with her other. Usagi also noticed she had her AR screen up, on which white digital writing flitted, semi-transparent, in front of the short-haired woman's blue eyes.

"So we're looking at these vines, right?" Usagi crouched to look closer. A combination of thick and fine tendrils curled around the object like a trellis. Small, purple flowers protruded from several stalks here and there. The sight gave her a weird feeling.

"Yes," Mercury spoke, focused. "It wasn't just here, either. It's the second object on this block since I got here. Mina and Mako-chan noticed it around a bench first," she said, pointing to her right.

The long-haired blonde turned to look. Over near the intersection across from the karaoke venue sat a single wooden bench, askew and out-of-place in the middle of the road.

"Huh..." Usagi racked her brain, but knew they'd need more information before anyone would know what they were dealing with. She cast a glance around the block. Aside from being devoid of other people, everything other than the fire hydrant looked perfectly ordinary to her. "How do you know this isn't just a normal plant?"

Mercury clicked off her visor and turned to face her. "Because the vines are giving off a strange, power-indicating energy."

"Whaaat?!" Usagi gasped, feeling stupid for doubting Ami's reaction. "Well, why didn't you just lead with that?"

Mercury sighed. "Sorry, we have a bit to catch you up on."

 _"Hey, Rei-chan!"_ Usagi heard her other friends call. She turned around to see the long-black-haired girl speedwalking down the side-street.

"Sorry I'm late," the miko panted, toting a large bag at her side. "I was just getting these charm materials from a different shrine."

Mercury shook her head. "It's alright. Usagi just got here as well."

Rei apparently noticed the state of a certain other blonde warrior, who was still sitting where she had plopped on the ground, because she made a judgmental-yet-concerned face and muttered, _"Minako-chan..._ are you guys okay?"

"Yes, yes!" the drunkest guardian was reassuring her, as Ami helped drag her to a stand and Makoto watched, tipsily giggling and shaking her head.

Usagi was distracted from the group, absorbed in the surreal appearance of the strange flowers.

 _"How could you be drinking??"_ Rei was distantly reprimanding, and she heard Minako blubber, _"-Well the weird stuff happened AFTER I was already drunk. How should I have known?!"_

There was something ancient about them, almost as if Usagi could tell they were magical just by looking. She bent over slightly, looking just a little bit closer. Pointy bits protruded here and there along the length of the organism as well as at the base of the flower stalks, appearing almost fuzzy on the smaller branches. Her mind wandered to the Xenian flower, and other various botanical enemies they had gone up against. This one, however, seemed somehow more beautiful.

 _"-This is really not healthy... You’re almost certainly dehydrated..."_ Mercury was joining in.

The bun-haired girl was jolted back to reality by Rei, who had walked over to peer at the plant beside her. "Usagi-chan?"

She jumped.

"Are you okay?" Rei looked her in the eye.

"Yeah!" Usagi said apologetically, shaking her head, smiling.

"Okay, let's fill everyone in," Mercury declared, and — once Minako could cease being clumsy long enough to stop herself and Makoto from laughing — the group formed a tight circle on the sidewalk.

  


As it turned out, neither of the newcomers needed much convincing this occurrence was out of the ordinary; the vines somehow "changed" object-locations before their eyes even during the debriefing.

The women talked, huddled over Mercury's computer, then eventually strode back and forth on the block as each witness took turns describing past events of the evening.

Apparently what had happened was Makoto and Minako had stumbled upon a vine-covered bench. The plant seemed to originate from under the ground, as Mercury pointed out; a few deep holes had been bored through the concrete near where the bench, though no longer vine-encircled, still stood. Then, shortly after Ami had arrived, the plant had _retreated_ back into the earth, appearing perhaps a couple minutes later growing around the nearby fire hydrant. Ami's computer had picked up the fact that the organism possessed a strange energy, definitely not of normal Earth plant life, and similar to that emitted by objects of power which had been used by the Dark Kingdom, she had said.

Whilst they talked, the plant recoiled, gently, from the fire hydrant as Usagi watched transfixed and moments later grew — surprisingly rapidly — around a gingko tree across the street, causing Usagi to nearly jump and shout for the others to watch.

The tree trunk gently bent as the vines circled and writhed like caterpillars, leading the group to speculate the plant's strength may explain how its original host — the bench — had ended up in its current position.

The five warriors watched in concentrated silence as the vines were slowly retracted back through the earth. There was a unanimous decision to return immediately to the lab to discuss the data with the Mauians.

As the group left the scene, Makoto plopped a hand on Usagi's shoulder, sighing. "Sorry... I guess we won't be able to do that movie."

"Oh yeah!" Usagi had almost forgotten about their plans to watch Netflix at Minako's apartment. "We can do it tomorrow night..."

As they neared the subway entrance, Usagi cast a gaze back at the location, speculating. "We don't know for sure these plants — entities — whatever they are — are _bad,_ " she said.

Ami, newly de-transformed, nodded. "True," she spoke, smiling, "but we definitely need to do research."

"Yeah..." Usagi's mind wandered as she stepped down the stairs. "I almost just feel like I remember them from somewhere," she said, near a whisper as she was aware of the other people passing by them. "Like from the Silver Millenium or something," she said so that just Ami could hear.

The blue-haired woman, now serious, gave her a meaningful look, nodding. "Do you remember something, then? We should tell the others when we get there."

"I'm not sure... but I think so," Usagi spoke as the five passed the turnstiles and stood waiting for their transportation. "I just feel drawn to them, like it's a bit familiar."

On the ride back to Azabujuuban, everyone was quiet, discussing in euphemisms in case anyone curious might have been listening. They shared speculation about "the situation," the identity of "the gardeners," among other phrases, with surprising competency. Minako seemed to be sobering up, gradually becoming quiet and composed.

When they finally reached the back door to the arcade and Minako produced the key, the group looked briefly around. Luna and Artemis must have already been waiting for them inside.

"Are you sure it's okay?" Makoto was questioning, but Minako answered, " _Yeah,_ trust me, it's deserted this time on Fridays lately." And, after waiting for the lone occupant in the joint to take a break from her sports game and head to the bathroom, the five women scurried over, whispering to shush each other and quickly pressing the button to open the stairway to the room built under the Sailor V games.

It turns out they needn't have been concerned. Usagi had forgotten how quickly — and relatively quietly — the stairway opened and closed. With the five warriors joining the two cats securely inside, Ami urgently sat down beside Luna, making herself busy with the computer consoles.

"Here," suggested the black crescent-marked cat, and Ami switched the largest screen to a black-and-green gridded map which looked like it was probably Tokyo.

Ami gasped. "What's-..." she started, but Usagi wasn't able to tell which part of the map might have been alarming.

As the Mauians made tense eye contact, Artemis announced, "Well, tell us what happened. Because we definitely have something to show you."

  


Usagi voiced what everyone seemed to be thinking. "Could it be the Dark Kingdom?" Solemn murmurs and frantic typing followed.

Ami talked without peeling her eyes from the console. "I won't be able to get a detailed energy reading just from here, but I _did_ notice the signature seemed similar to them — to Beryl's crystals and the Shittenou's energy, that is, not Metallia... But we shouldn't make any conclusions based on that alone."

Usagi let out a breath. She put a hand to her pounding chest. _They can't be back._ Some of her first traumatic memories, which she wouldn't have been able to explain to any therapist, had taken place at Beryl's hand. But Venus had killed her. And Metallia was gone for good. _Right?_ She looked to Minako, whose face was unreadable but pensive.

"Could it be..." Makoto said, "This is something else from the Silver Millenium time then?"

Rei shifted. "Yeah... Usagi, you told us you thought that plant's flowers were familiar, right?" she probed. "Maybe you remembered them from the Moon Kingdom — or from the Earth Kingdom."

"I'm not sure..." Usagi started.

"Well, whatever we're dealing with, our sensors picked up an anomalous energy source spread around... at least several districts. Going back at least since last week," Artemis stated. He flipped through an archive of similar maps, and Usagi could tell there were light-green, dotted patches indicated, moving and growing as Artemis flipped back through to the current date. "I can't be certain, but based on the way the energies have been picked up by the system, it seems most likely at least part of the activity is _underground._ "

There were a couple gasps. Makoto stepped forward to look more closely at the console. "So, what do we do now?"

Ami shook her head. "Unfortunately, nothing except wait and gather more data, probably."

Luna, from her perch atop the array of computer controls, looked sad, Usagi noticed. The cat eventually sighed. "I'm sorry, everyone. I should have been looking at our scanners here more regularly."

Minako, silent until now, stood up from her previous position of leaning against the back wall. "No, Luna. It's my fault, too. I'm the one with the key to this place at night, and I've been in charge — _I_ should have checked-"

"No! Let's not blame yourselves!" Usagi stepped forward suddenly, aware she had shouted, her emotions boiling up. She tried to smile. "We know now... and we'll handle it." 

Everyone present nodded.

It was decided that they should let the outer senshi know about what was happening; Usagi said she would text them.

It was past midnight by the time the group split up to return home. Usagi and Luna silently snuck back in to the Tsukino residence, where Usagi was temporarily crashing. Usagi tip-toed to her bedroom, trying her best not to wake her parents, although they had known she'd be out late that night anyway.

  


* * *

  


_"Join. Become the Moss. Serve the people,"_ said someone in Rei's dreams shortly after she fell asleep that night. She woke up with a pounding heart.


	3. Insomnia; First Contact; A Request

**CW:**

  * violence.



  


* * *

  


Makoto had stayed out late. Unable to sleep and not wanting to be cooped up alone, once home she had wandered back out to the nearest bar, where she ordered sodas and sat at a back table, pretending to be absorbed with her smartphone.

_The enemy is here._ Well, if that's who they are. They haven't done anything hostile. _But if they are, they're already here..._

She took a sip of cola, resting her chin on her knuckles, wondering whether Haruka and the others had gotten Usagi's message yet, what she had told them, and what they would be thinking.

It had been months since any of the inner senshi had caught up with the older girls — well, and Hotaru. With Chibiusa gone back to the future, and with a lengthier-than-usual quiet, peaceful time on the third planet in the solar system, there wasn't a huge need for group meetings with them. _Perhaps until now._

The brunette paid her bill to the smiling older woman and left when the bar closed, intending to head back to her apartment. It was just after two-thirty.

Once outdoors, Makoto sighed in the cool night air and checked her phone again. Her feet carried her along the path, but she didn't want to return home. _I should text Minako — or Rei,_ she thought. She doubted either of them would be able to sleep easily that night either. Ami probably had school or something early in the morning, and she didn't want to bother Usagi again...

_Change of plans decided, then._

The course of her walk now changed to route herself to a nearby park, Makoto brought up a group text with Rei and Minako and tentatively typed, 'Either of you up?' Her fingers paused on the next thought.

She heard a sound. Not quite a rustling.

_Plants. Vines._ She could feel it through the earth. It was different than earlier. She broke into a run.

Closing her eyes to focus in on her connection with the plant life, Makoto, heart racing, had sprinted just to the edge of the wooded park. She stopped, steadying her mind and waiting. Her cell phone was cast, forgotten, back into the skirt pocket.

_Roots shifted._ The nearby trees were groaning, moving to let them through.

_Let what through?_

The woman gasped, as she could nearly feel the ground shift under her.

No, she _did._ Literally. It was an earthquake. The curly-haired senshi ran, pulling out her communicator by pure fight-or-flight muscle memory.

Makoto made it to the center of the small park, taking a protective stance, from which she darted her eyes around, scanning the scene. There was nothing but the dark silence and the streetlights. The earth had stilled. She couldn't feel the roots anymore.

She pressed the button to flip open her communicator. And then the ground opened up.

  


She was falling.

Surrounded by beings that were screeching at her.

Vines, writhing.

It was hard to tell whether the sound was real or in her head.

She was unable to tell whether or not she screamed.

That was what it felt like to fall in, absorbed by nothing but panic and the vines. Then she was aware she had hit the bottom.

Wind knocked out of her, the senshi struggled up to her elbows, heart racing like her body had been pumped with all the adrenaline in the world.

Makoto groaned and sat, feeling soil under her hands, breathing deeply and frantically. It was pitch black except for the small source of light at the top. _So far away._ That was more than generous enough distance to be fatal for a normal person, she realized – that is, someone without the resilience possessed by the members of a group of reincarnated warriors whose power set just happens to include _good at jumping and falling._ She had landed hard on her shoulder but she felt nothing but the racing numbness.

The girl took in a raspy breath and put a hand to her forehead, just coming out of her shocked reverie. Before she could properly react, several things happened at the same time. She became aware that one of the vines — one of the big ones that had watched her fall — was coming toward her. And then there were the words, booming, simultaneously spoken and felt psychically with her being. As she later would wonder why she didn't grab her transformation pen during this instant, it was probably because she thought she'd have at least another second more.

She gasped as the plant grabbed her, lifting up, twisting.

_"BECOME,"_ it said.

It was a raspy, inhuman voice that was felt under the skin.

As soon as Makoto had been lifted, she felt herself plunged — she could only imagine, further into the earth, through some unseen chasm. She let out an involuntary scream. Everything was dark now. Her hands could reach only the vine, cool and hard like wood, smooth except for grip-aiding spikes, thicker than a snake. She was held still for a moment, suspended in the air. She tried to reach for her transformation pen, but the creature encircled her waist, blocking access to her pockets.

For an instant she just breathed. "Who are y...-" she started.

_"YOU WILL JOIN THE MOSS,"_ the vines said.

The voices now felt plural. A chorus.

Makoto attempted to twist, grappling with the vine that secured her. It was too thick, and her legs were bound together. She tried to push away and shove it, eventually twisting to hit it with her elbows, but the plant absorbed her blows like rubber.

As if in retaliation, the beings, angry, twisted her down.

_"SURRENDER,"_ they spoke.

Thrown backwards, downwards, Makoto hit against a hard surface, crying out.

_"YOU WILL SERVE THE GREATEST PEOPLE."_

Entwining her arms and upper body to hold her now from head to toe, the plant whipped back up, throwing her against some rocky ceiling. This blow was softer, absorbed by the rubbery plant, but she saw stars. The senshi tried desperately to twist and break free.

_"YOU WILL JOIN,"_ the plant spoke, certain.

As the vine moved, dragging her down, Makoto's view became briefly unobscured. Through one eye she saw they were in the middle of a cavern. The room pulsed with dots of dull, red light.

" _Shit,_ what?-" she spoke.

_"OR SURRENDER,"_ the being ordered, at last.

With that, the young woman was simultaneously thrown down; she yelled as the plant entity, which cavorted first further upward for momentum, rocketed her to the floor with a newfound, startling strength.

As she hit, all remaining air was emptied from the warrior's lungs; her vision blacked out for an instant. Struggling to inhale for a moment against the sharp pain in her ribs and chest, Makoto finally gasped, vision spinning but returning, her body throbbing. She was lying on her left side, face-down as her attacker slowly retreated into the darkness, slithering. Through the dim yellow light that now filtered from above, specks of dirt gently fell; she could just make out rubble around her.

Then Makoto noticed that the thick vines, distant now, began to squirm slowly on the other side of the cavern, making an unnerving sound as they reared themselves up once more.

In shock and just barely able to push herself up, the woman instinctively scrambled to gain distance, shuffling backward until her back pressed against something solid.

Then someone clapped.

She realized later that's what it was. A single clap. The sound echoed, somehow drearily crisp. The creature briefly stilled, then continued its growling and rearing, making the dim red light appear once more. Squinting, the senshi flinched for the entity's next attack, trying and failing to fumble for her pockets.

_"Moss, STOP."_

The vines stopped. Gazing about frantically through the settling dust, as Makoto blinked and rubbed filth from her blurred eyes, she saw a humanoid man walk into view, in the middle of the crevasse, from behind some rocks to the right. He didn't even look at her, but walked to the far side, addressing the creature.

"I must have forgotten to inform you of your special instructions." The new, human voice was calm but bellowing.

The creature writhed and retreated as he spoke.

"This is an _honored guest!_ You must not harm her." The man, blonde, wearing a spotless khaki suit, finally turned to look at Makoto, who glared back. "Hello. I see you've made it. Welcome!"

The brunette spat out dirt, struggling to a crouch. As the man strode slowly and deliberately toward her, she opened her mouth to try to speak, _'Who are you?'_ but instead found a lungful of dust and fell forward onto her hands coughing.

"Easy, now!" the man spoke. His voice was casual and sugary-sweet. Makoto seethed. She already hated him.

The warrior coughed and swallowed dirt particles, then tried again hoarsely, looking up as he neared her. "Who are you?"

"Aha!" he said cheerfully, although his face, as he came into closer view, lacked emotion. "Please, you are the guest here." He gestured around at the damn dusty cavern. "It would only be polite to ask you, first."

The senshi propped herself up on what turned out to be a large rock behind her, clutching at her consequently stabbing ribs. With her other hand she reached slowly into her left pocket which — _thank gods_ — still held her transformation pen.

"Fuck you," she stated. As she once again got her feet underneath her, she returned her left hand to the ground for support, holding the pen firmly, keeping it readied but out of his view.

"Oho!" the man chortled, stereotypically charismatic yet emotionless. "Well, you'll please at least send my regards to the others."

Makoto paused, thoughts briefly spinning, _You still haven't told me who the fuck you are..._ "The other who?" she spat, though she tried to act oblivious.

" _Oh,_ no need to be coy! The other sailor senshi, of course!"

At that Makoto rushed to stagger to a stand. The man in the suit laughed heartily and innocently as she winced and doubled over her hurt side.

"That's right, I know!" He continued to approach her, slow and methodical. "That's why I invited you here! So, do inform me, _which one are you?_ " The man, now mere feet away from her, tilted his head back as if curious.

Makoto scoffed, disgusted. She threw up the pen – color of forest depths in the dim cavern light – at last.

The warrior shouted. "Jupiter Crystal Power! Make up!"

She was bathed momentarily in blinding green light; Makoto felt the familiar rush of energy overtake her. It started from within, rippling. Electrical power crackled, coursing in waves.

The sense of calm strength came as an instant relief to a panicked mind and body running on near empty with fight-or-flight. She took a breath, empowered. Her hyperventilation stilled slightly. Pain dulled.

Then Jupiter stared down the khaki-suited man.

She briefly realized — _with smugness_ — that he now stood shorter than her, with heels. He remained still in front of her, unflinching. He laughed with amusement.

"The guardian of Jupiter. Of course!" He strode closer to the warrior, beginning to pace. "That would have been among my first guesses — seeing as you're one of the _feistier_ ones."

Jupiter threw a punch at his face.

The man held up his hand as if to block, but stepped back with uncanny speed, effortlessly.

"Please, you mustn't misunderstand!" He stood now stood about 20 meters away. She didn't quite remember seeing him get there. The man began walking forward again. "I hope my _pet_ here didn't rough you up too bad." He held his hands up emphatically. "But that was a mistake. I really don't mean you _any_ harm."

Sailor Jupiter laughed bitterly, speaking through gritted teeth. "You don't mean _any_ harm?" She charged electricity in one tightly-clenched fist, walking toward the man. Gloved fingers crackled.

"Whoa, whoa," he said casually, without fear. "Right. _Or_ any harm to _any_ of the other sailor senshi." This time he remained stationary as she approached, waving his open palms in front of him.

Jupiter lowered the attack but continued the static in both fists, brandishing the arcing sparks. "Then just tell me who you are," she nearly growled, addressing him through narrowed eyes.

"The name's Sel."

As the senshi of thunder approached, he teleported back. They had now crossed the chasm, nearly reaching the mess of boulders which had previously housed the coils of giant plant. The moist air was bitter and cold. Jupiter clenched her teeth angrily and shivered.

"And please give my regards to your other friends. I'm sure they've noticed our presence by now..." The man turned away, beginning to idly trace out a broad circle. "Tell them we want to negotiate." He straightened his tie.

Makoto became aware of the fact she no longer felt the presence of her botanical assailant, or any of the other aggressive vines. Without them, her ears rang in the empty silence.

Jupiter took a firm step forward. "Where is this place? ... _What_ the _hell_ are those creatures? And what do you want?!" She reached to grab the man by his cuff. It wasn't there.

Sel, who had finished pacing now in a full circle around her, tilted out of reach to reappear on her other side, face within inches of hers. He spoke calmly, as if she hadn't made to attack him. "Those are some of my people. And we want you to help us."

Then he and the booming plants spoke all at once:

_"You must join or grant us safe passage."_

  


* * *

  


Ami hadn't been able to sleep. Brain cluttered but focused, after lying in bed futilely for an hour or two she decided to pack herself a sandwich and go back to the lab.

Haven't having thought to ask Minako for the key just in case this happened, when Ami returned to the closed arcade at around 2 am she looked around for civilians before picking the lock with a bobby pin – a skill she hadn't quite admitted to the others she had been practicing.

The heavy, sliding front door echoed in the deserted shop. Without turning on the lights, Ami felt her way by memory to the now-7-years-old Sailor V machines and let herself down.

Parking herself at the main console, the young woman booted up the alien computers. She flipped to the map view and opened the archives, intending to go over the strange data from the last couple weeks until things started to make sense.

In silence, she ate her sandwich, taking notes using the text app on an adjacent monitor. 

She agreed with Artemis and Luna's conclusion that some of the observed activity may have occurred deeper underground; although records from the previous day showed the strange plant life they observed fluctuated around a fairly constant energy level, patches of light green on the UI showed that earlier that day — and nearly every day dating back for the past 10 days — smaller energy readings would fade in and out of range around town and over several other areas of Japan, registering at a much lower level. She happened to know the control room's sensors — although they possessed incredible range across the earth's surface and atmosphere — stopped receiving input accurately just below ground level; thus, the readings would make sense if the 'dimmer' energy signals were actually just farther away — underneath.

Ami chewed and wadded up her paper trash, stowing it back in her handbag. She flipped to the current feed. Small veins of powerful energy flowed and flickered on the map, clustering just west of the Azabu area. In other places, dim patches similar to those seen throughout faded in and out, slowly pulsing.

She studied silently. _What could this be?_ The blue-haired woman stared at the screens, wondering how this baffling new source of energy — friend or foe — might have arrived on Earth — or whether it was possible it could have _originated_ from the planet.

The interface flickered. Among the cluster of energy threads, motion was being detected. _Maybe the being(s) are more active at night,_ she thought, then realized that, no, this level of activity was practically absent from the rest of the dataset.

The nearby veins of power-source data flickered, taking a more branching path, crawling in unison as they stretched to the east. Ami's heart leapt up into her throat, as she leaned forward.

"Minako... are you there? I didn't want to wake the others just yet, but something's happening. I'm in the control room. Can you meet me?" she spoke into her wristwatch's microphone as soon as she fished it out.

"Urmmmg," came the other woman's reply, apparently sleeping until now.

The energy threads continued to branch unpredictably, moving closer to Ami's area at an even faster speed.

"Yeah... I'm on it," Minako said.

Some of the lines, however, converged to span a much thicker area, pulsing with the level of power seen during the time earlier that day when they saw the strange vines, except on a much larger scale. Ami gasped, typing frantically to pull up more stats on the area.

Then a huge brightly-colored circle appeared, causing Ami to jump from the console's solitary _beep._ The datapoint, denser in the middle, flashed up and then faded immediately from the view — _a much stronger energy signature._

Ami flipped open her communicator again. "Nevermind!! I'm coming out. Please transform and tell the others," she shouted.

A small, gentle — almost imperceptible to Ami in her state of panic — shake to the subterranean lair was followed moments later by a loud buzz to Ami's phone. She snatched it up, standing from the control panel chair. It was an earthquake alert. But there were never any more tremors, just the one.

Running now up the stairs and blinded by the darkness in contrast to the bright underground room, Ami addressed Minako once more.

" _Did you feel that?!_ Have you called the others or should I?" The blue-haired girl burst out the door without bothering with re-locking or even closing the door and shutters, stopping breathless on the sidewalk in order to get her bearings.

The leader's face flickered onto the video feed. Minako, hair down, shown blurred and laggy in the poor lighting, appeared to be shuffling through her home, picking up a shoulder bag with a rustle. _"I've called them,"_ she said. "I'm on my way outside. Meet at the park."

Ami nodded, fumbling for her transformation pen and beginning to run.

Ducking into an alley, she whispered the words.

Crystal-clear water revitalized her body, quietly washing over her soul. Twisting. Pure aquatic energy left her charged with a sense of motion, an ancient peace.

Ami leapt onto a fire escape, jumping to her first rooftop in three years. Her skirt flowing freely and comfortably, the only sounds belonging to distant traffic and her own breath in her ears, Mercury ran with the grace of a river.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well shit's happening all at once now, lol surprise!
> 
> Guess I'm not usually one for slow starts (don't worry, we'll still have plenty of fluff/breaks too though) 😉


	4. Reactions; The Ancient; An Invitation

No major content warnings for this chapter.

  


* * *

  


Rei sprinted down the side streets, transforming on the way; she didn't break her stride, rather running faster, when her flats were replaced with heels as a calescent, strong power and passion began to fuel her steps.

Breathless, she made it to the designated emergency meeting spot. A few nocturnal birds conversed, watching as she arrived; they broke their gathering to flee to higher trees as the woman rushed through.

Oblivious to the humans' urgent mood, once the warrior was under the canopy the park air smelled of rich summer life and flowers; a couple insects chirped. Through the dark, three am light, Mars spotted a couple figures near the adjacent streetside entrance — her friends. She sprinted over.

Venus and Mercury were illuminated by the dim, electronic light emitting from the former's cell phone.

"I've texted them in case," the warrior of love was telling the blue-haired figure, silhouetted in the light from the commercial streets behind.

Both women nodded to Mars as she approached.

"You guys!.." Red heels clicked as she slowed. "... What's happened?"

In answer, Mercury opened her right hand, palm up; her blue handheld computer flickered into existence. Without hesitation, she pressed a few buttons, bringing up a flashing blue visual.

"There's been a massive energy reading in town..." The senshi of knowledge tapped the touch screen to zoom in, then pointed to her right. "... several blocks that way."

Mars curtly nodded. "Should we get over there?"

"Not quite yet — let's wait for the others," Venus stated.

"Have you heard from them?"

"Not yet," the leader answered, but was interrupted by her communicator flashing. She flipped it open.

"Sorry I'm running late!! I got your transmission. I'm on my way," Usagi's tired voice came through. "What's happening?"

"Just get your butt over here!" Mars spoke, leaning in toward Venus's device.

"Mercury and I will explain when you're all here," Venus said, flinching slightly at Rei's bold order, laughing in spite of the situation.

"What's that?" Mars asked, nodding to a pulsating reading on Mercury's screen that had the warrior seemingly frozen in thought.

Mercury brought a gloved hand to her chin, thoughtful. "There's something you should know. It's possible the cats were right and the readings from earlier — in addition to what's happening now — are underground." She tapped to zoom in. "These readings are fluctuating weirdly even if that's the case, however.."

"Have either of you heard from Jupiter?" Venus interrupted.

They shook their heads.

"I'll page and text her again."

"Oh, and one more thing," Mercury added, looking up. "Did you feel that quake just now?"

"Yes, it woke me up," Mars responded.

"I think it's probably related."

"So what do you think we're dealing with?" Venus asked, looking up.

Mercury shook her head. "Unfortunately, I've no idea... besides the fact the appearance of that plant organism is involved. We need to investigate."

The three stood in silence. Cicadas started up a concert.

Mars looked around the quiet, dusky surroundings with unease. A feeling of significance tensed in her chest. "Where's Jupiter?"

_"... Call her again,"_ Mercury demanded, voice biting with a rare impatience.

Venus obliged, beginning to pace. Rei exchanged a glance with the blue-haired girl, who bit her lip, suddenly obviously concerned.

The golden-haired senshi shook her head emphatically. "She's not answering... This is the third time..”

"Shit, no." Mars brought a hand to her lips.

"This isn’t like her. You don't think-?" Venus started.

_"You guys!"_ Sailor Moon was running through the dim woods from farther up the path. Radiant blonde pigtails were longer than ever, her clear blue eyes seeming to glow in the half-light. Mars would have smiled at the appearance of their princess.

As Usagi caught up, slowing as she reached the group, Mercury made stone-cold eye contact with the other two Inners. "We need to go," she said resolutely, hushed. "I'll guide us from my map."

"What's going on? ... And where's Mako-chan?" Moon stopped, catching her breath with hands on her knees despite her magically empowered state. On ‘off-season’ she had practiced controlling her transformation to save energy; thus, as she stood before Rei her wings were — for the time being — absent. Her skirt, gently flowing in a breeze, caught the light on familiar stripes of yellow and blue.

The other two’s eyes went to Venus, who pursed her lips in the darkness. She took a breath, bringing a fist to her chest as she steeled herself. "We should act under the assumption she’s in trouble. They must have gotten to her," she spoke.

_"Whaatt?!?"_ Sailor Moon shrieked, springing upright and looking near tears. "And who’s ‘they’?!? The weird plants?" Mars just grabbed her hand and pulled her along as the group began to jog.

It was about ten blocks to the source of the readings. As Mars ran behind Mercury and Venus, skin numb with the cool humidity, she felt Usagi's hand in hers until the other woman finally ripped it away, as she panted — or perhaps cried — behind her.

"There! This block!" Mercury finally shouted. The group veered to a crosswalk leading to a smaller wooded park.

As soon as Mars reached the entrance she stumbled, feeling as if she just passed through a thick bubble, or a spiderweb.

"You okay?" she heard Venus ask.

".. The fuck was that? ... I definitely feel something here." The psychic got her bearings, mentally shaking off the sticky residue of strong energies and ancient-seeming spirits. All senses throbbed. Then she spotted a dark patch in the center of the paving stones. _"That!"_

Mars kicked into a sprint, stopping to stoop and feel the earth when she reached the edge. A roughly-traced, apartment-sized circle in the middle of the small city block, at the back corner of the tiny park, had been rendered vacant and replaced with just a perfectly-flat patch of dark soil.

"What happened to everything that was here?!" Rei heard Moon behind her, breathing anxiously. Mars stood, turning to face the group.

"This was the epicenter." Mercury typed away on her computer as she approached, soft features illuminated by her electronic visor.

"Jupiter..." The moon princess crumpled to her knees, touching the empty ground.

The leader approached behind her, resting a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Whatever happened, I'm sure she's okay."

Sailor Moon stood up, wiping her face. "I know. I can feel it."

Mercury approached the others. "I'm no longer detecting a strong energy from this area. It's spread around. Shall we split up?"

_"No!"_ Venus stopped her. "The same thing could happen again."

"She has a point," Mars spoke. "Otherwise it could take us ages, and if the energy source is moving now, we may need to act quickly... assuming Jupiter was taken."

Usagi, who wiped her eyes on the clear portion of Venus's sleeve as the latter embraced her, nodded, opening her eyes with a fierceness. "I'm willing to take the risk more of us could be separated. Let's cover more ground."

Venus nodded then, smiling with certainty as if to psych herself up. "Okay then. I'm sure we'll find her in no time.” She turned to carry on, immediately turning back. “But… Sailor Moon, one of us should stay with you.”

“I’ll do it,” volunteered Mercury, nodding to their princess.

“Okay. I’ll go check Makoto’s apartment first, just in case. You all cover the area.” Venus turned to abruptly leave.

"Let's keep in close communication if we see – or sense – anything at all," Mercury stated, tapping her visor closed.

There was unanimous assent.

  


Mars ran as she followed her gut feeling, alone except for passing the occasional shop employee closing up who'd pause briefly to stare at her.

She thought about the feeling she'd had at the park and tried to focus on that. The warrior hurried, closing her eyes at times, trying to tell whether she felt anything like that again. At first she didn't.

Mercury's voice emitted from her wrist as the communicator beeped. "There's been another energy spike. Not as intense as whatever incident caused the earthquake, but still significant."

"Where?" she heard Venus ask.

"Near the north part of the district. Usagi-chan and I will route to the area and I’ll tell you where to meet us."

"I'm near there." Mars pressed the 'talk' button, speaking as she continued northward. The fire senshi picked up the pace.

Residential areas made way to streets packed densely with commercial buildings. As Mars sprinted, buses and traffic lights blurred past her. It began to very lightly rain. Then she slowed.

A presence — a feeling — enveloped her perception. It felt similar to what she experienced at abandoned or poorly kept shrines — an ancient, impossible-to-ignore entity, like spirits left to overgrowth for hundreds of years.

_My dream._ Yes, she'd had a dream about this. But not soon enough to do anything about it. Mars felt herself pant as she began to sprint again.

The cobwebs of beckoning consciousness led her behind a family temple wedged between tall apartment buildings, under a relatively-new overpass, and into a small, fairly obscured patch of manicured lawn and trees occupying an awkward, unutilized triangle between an office building and a train station. Passing spirits fled and blotted the priestess's vision as she put her feelers out, walking amongst the oaks.

_'Join. You will join. Come.'_

The words inserted themselves, unprovoked, into the woman's mind. _The dream!_ Information rushed back to her from just several hours before. There was a person — an entity — a group — who told her this, in her dream.

_It's an invitation._

The black-haired warrior now knew with sureness that this is what had happened to Jupiter. The entity desired to make contact. For better or worse, they already had – with Makoto – and now the chance was offered to her as well.

Mars mentally tried to send acknowledgment. She closed her eyes, coming to a stop.

_'How?'_

She was no longer alone. Violet eyes opened. A vague glow from the other side of the commercial park caused her to follow. As she approached, the grass stirred, parted. A spiral of displaced sod made way for a bioluminescent being — round like a jellyfish — which crowned and emerged from the ground with a soft, earthy sound like a shovel pulling apart roots.

Mars stared. She blinked, shaking her head back to reality. "Um, guys...?" With shaking hands she opened her communicator screen as she stepped back, turning to offer a view to whoever wanted it. "Do you see this?"

A moment of silence, and then Sailor Moon's face appeared on the screen.

_"Whaaaat? On Earth is that??"_

Venus and Mercury were apparently disposed; they answered with voice only.

"What is it, another creature?" Venus probed. "Are you alright??"

Rei straightened herself, trying to think how to best sum up the information she had recently been imparted. Mars didn't peel her eyes from the entity, watching its gentle, sea-creature-like undulations as she spoke. Fully exposed it was massive, the width and height of a small tree. The soft outer layer was purplish and shiny. "I can sense these organisms are giving us an invitation. I'm positive that's what happened to Mako-chan. And they're making contact with me, too." She hesitated. "I'm going to do what they ask."

Chatter emerged from the other ends of the line. Mars listened absently to their questions and doubts; she had already decided. If the well-being of one of their own hadn't possibly hung in the balance, she would have exercised more caution. However, the rapidity with which events had unfolded made her uneasy about the consequences of hesitating, in the case that these entities harbored malicious intentions.

She breathed and listened.

The glowing globule listened back. A gentle tug at her psyche told her the powerful entity — the one she had been sensing and heard in her dream — was awaiting her input.

The plant-like creature did not intend to kill her, at the very least, Mars could tell. She outstretched a hand. As her fingers neared the surface of the organism, its outer wall parted. A hollow inside, with soft solid ‘floor,’ awaited her. Mars took a breath.

Her friends had gone silent. "Are you still there? ... It's a vehicle. I believe it will take me with it, possibly underground — but definitely to wherever Jupiter was also taken."

_"Are you sure?!"_ Usagi's voice sounded, hopeful.

"I have a strong sense."

"Alright. I'm just leaving Mako's apartment. It's empty. Where exactly are you, Mars? We'll all meet you there," Venus panted.

"Okay," Mars said uneasily, eyeing the glowing orb as it then twisted and made to disappear, inward, down. _"Wait!!"_

Rei made a split-second decision that felt right in her gut. She felt watched by this extension of the ancient creature, as she spoke to her communicator. She knew what it was telling her — _it was to be only her. It was now or never._

_"What?"_ came several responses.

"It's disappearing. This might be the only chance. I'm going to go on my own." Mars tensed as she readied herself.

"Mars, _no!_ All we know about this enemy is that they may target us when we're separated," said Venus, sounding strained. "We can't lose you, too.... _Please_ don't do anything until we get there."

As if it had heard her, the creature stirred like a scared rabbit. Mars was afraid to lose contact again.

She braced herself. "Is that an order, Venus?" Adrenaline made her limbs feel stiff as the woman realized what she was about to do.

A heavy silence filled the communication channel.

"No..." More silence. "Be careful, Mars."

She smirked, tossing her hair although no one could see. "Don't you have confidence in me?" She entered. The cell-like capsule sealed itself closed.


	5. A Rescue; A Retreat; Ascension

**CW:** *(Starting this chapter I've figured out how to change my CSS to leave spoiler-y cws invisible unless highlighted!! Just highlight the text below if you need/want, don't if you don't want the spoilers.)* Edit: I've also updated previous chapters in this way!

  * mild violence.

  


* * *

  


"Yes, humans."

The one called Sel paced.

How much time passed while he walked, or while he talked, may have been a mystery for the ages. He always seemed to be in a different place than he should have been. Without the massive creatures the cavern seemed empty, silent. Jupiter stared, shivered.

"They're not all plants. People, like you and me. Human beings." He strode forward.

Jupiter highly doubted the validity of that statement, given especially that neither the _'you'_ nor _'me'_ implied were likely even the same type of human. He paced across the cave; he adjusted his suit.

The man was explaining in circles, never getting to the part about how many people lived in his society, or who _he_ was to them exactly, besides leader.

Dazed and long since grudgingly convinced any physical aggression toward the man may be futile, Jupiter had settled upon silently seething, staring, as he explained. At first she willed herself to just hold onto as much information as possible, for later use. He rambled endlessly.

_Gods,_ the palpable yet unfulfilled anger that filled her must have at least produced an excellent _bad-bitch_ glare, the woman thought idly.

The vast subterranean room spun. Eventually the warrior willed herself to just keep standing.

The man called Sel told Makoto she must relay the message, and thanked her for visiting.

That's when Mars arrived. Or, when Jupiter noticed her, anyway.

Perched on a rock face, the beautiful fire senshi aimed an arrow. Burning a hot red-and-orange with a mystical aura, it was immediately noticeable to Jupiter, but not to the man, who was facing away.

The two met one another's gaze and Jupiter nodded.

She felt a twinge of guilt at the possible betrayal, given the slim chance her captor was telling the truth. But then the warrior steadied, hardened. He was cruel and unfeeling. He had kidnapped her and had her attacked on purpose, she was sure of it.

Everything he did was aimed as an indirect threat to the ones she loved, regardless of what he insisted. He was a revolting person. She didn't trust him.

Jupiter kept Sel's eye contact firmly, just long enough.

"Mars Flame Sniper," was almost whispered.

Her aim was true, and the middle of the cavern erupted in a fiery blast. Jupiter stepped back, turning an arm up to shield herself.

_"Mars!"_ Her heart swelled.

_"Mako-chan?!"_ Rei ran to her, heels clicking on chunks of uneven rock.

But Sel hadn't been there to receive the attack. There he hovered, above them.

With backup secured, Jupiter was fine with sticking to this plan, however. As Mars reached her side and let loose another arrow, Jupiter brought up her arms.

"Supreme Thunder Dragon!"

Filling up the cavern now, the vengeful senshi released a thundering wave of static discharge. It reached its target, near the ceiling, in mere moments, moving in the shape of a great, roaring dragon.

The surge of current and the flaming projectile hit at the same time, producing an explosion of shrapnel and fiery sparks.

The two fighters readied themselves once more, watching.

To Jupiter's dismay, the man in the khaki suit now appeared, still intact, again, some distance away. Half-transparent, he faced directly downward at the pair of fighters, smirking.

"No fucking way," Jupiter breathed. Beside her she heard Mars gasp with irritation.

"Oh my..." the unnerving man started. "We'll get along better if we don't do each other harm. And I _really_ don't mean you any. Please send along the message." His image faded with a static. "I will find one of you again soon."

As he began to chuckle, disappearing, Jupiter, yelling, tossed a ball of electricity at his face.

"It's okay. Let's go," Mars was saying, pulling gently on her arm.

"He's the one that dragged me down here! We can't trust him," Jupiter panted.

"Okay." Mars nodded. "What happened?" she asked over her shoulder, motioning to talk whilst making an exit.

Jupiter took a step and stifled a sound, clutching her side. Rei picked up on it.

" _You're hurt!_ Are you okay? Sorry I hadn't noticed.." Mars ran back, holding her upright.

"Yeah. Mostly," Jupiter muttered.

"Here. Is this alright?"

With Mars supporting, the two senshi walked back through the caverns. It was an area that had been off to Jupiter's right, near where Sel had entered.

The air stilled after battle, single flakes of dust were visible, floating and cascading downward through the filtered light emanating from a long crack above.

"There was an elevator over here. Er, sort of an elevator. That's how I reached you," Mars explained, and she didn't protest when Jupiter chose to remain silent rather than reciprocate in recalling her part of the story.

The two made it to a crack in the rock face, which Mars felt with her hand, revealing that it was some sort of living material, which parted for them to reveal a glob-like capsule. At Mars's guidance, they entered.

Jupiter watched, stunned, as the crack sealed back up, enclosing them. "What the fuck?… _Are you sure this will bring us back up?_ " she asked.

"Yes." Mars nodded. "I'm fairly sure," she said, without hesitation. As the capsule budged and began to move upward, the pair letting out a sigh of relief, Mars added with a smirk, "Why tell a hostage to relay a message if you don't let them leave?"

Jupiter laughed, managing to cough up more dirt, and undid her transformation. Mars followed suit.

Although she was certain it would save her energy in the long run, de-transformed the brunette leaned more heavily into her friend, dazed.

It had been maybe a couple minutes and they hadn't reached the surface yet. Rei tried her communicator periodically to check its status. Apparently they didn't work far underground. The darker-haired girl checked their phones as well; her own didn't have service, and Makoto's was smashed to pieces.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Rei asked at one point, looking up at her, concerned.

Rei and her warm-black, perfect hair were all Makoto could focus on in the dim, bioluminescent light.

"I already said, I'm okay." Makoto smiled, strained.

Rei rolled her eyes and scoffed. "As _if_ I could just trust your first answer. I know you too well. Also, you can barely stand."

_"Rei-chan!.."_ Makoto laughed, embarrassed. The statement stung but simultaneously filled her with a warmth.

Rei smiled and didn't say anything else for the intangibly long ride — _was it hours or was Makoto's exhausted brain playing tricks on her?_ — until the fire senshi's communicator worked and she told everyone they escaped alright but needed help.

Makoto leaned back and watched the dull pulsing light until the illumination from streetlights and buildings peeked through. The air inside the capsule was cold. It felt as if they were sleep deprived and hungover, waiting for a slow hotel elevator. The brunette groaned sleepily when the lift stopped, and Rei pulled her out.

  


* * *

  


"Oh, thank god!! ... They what?!? They were there the _whole_ time?" Ami jumped up from her desk after speaking with the tinny voice of Usagi over her communicator watch. Shoving her Mercury computer, which she had been studying sleeplessly, into her purse, she rushed through her apartment and out the door. Ami was more or less the only one who possessed her own car at the moment, so Usagi had asked if she would pick them up.

She sped as much as possible, going just over the speed limit, and parked as close as she could to the location Rei had apparently indicated to Usagi. It was a small wooded area behind the train track supports. It was nearly dawn. Ami paid the parking service and sprinted, kicking up moisture onto her skirt from the dew-covered grass.

She spotted her friends, who were huddled in the privacy of some trees.

She nearly shouted at them. "Mako-chan!? Rei? Oh, thank god. Holy crap." Ami reached the pair in seconds.

Rei looked up to greet her with a half smile, looking exhausted, and a groggy Makoto hung on her shoulder.

"Are you both okay?!?" Ami demanded.

"Wha-uh-yeah!.." and "Sort of..." were Makoto's and Rei's responses, respectively, in unison.

"Uh, okay," Ami stated, concern not mitigated but not too seriously worried, as they both were clearly escaped, alive, and standing.

"Mako?..." Ami touched her rescued friend's shoulder, trying to make eye contact in order to elicit a more thorough response, but the girl just grumbled, _'mmm?'_ and managed to look up blankly.

_"Are you okay?!"_ Ami repeated dumbly as she leaned in to help Rei support her. She noticed that although her hair had managed to stay pulled up, the brunette's clothes, arms, face, and fingernails were caked with some sort of mud or dirt with patches of combination fresh and drying blood. Rei's disgruntled appearance, although dust-covered, was nowhere near as concerning. Ami sucked in air through her teeth as she absorbed her friends' state.

"I'll be fine," Makoto reassured her weakly as she redistributed her weight to lean on Ami, but Rei shook her head, _‘tsk’_ ing softly.

" _I'm_ alright, but she's been hurt…” the dark-haired woman supplied. Violet eyes illuminated by the sunrise briefly scanned the other girl up and down, Ami noticed, with concern. Makoto offered no further protest.

"Okay... Shit. Let's get you back." As the three of them, as a singular unit, walked to the car, Ami turned toward the other two. "You don't need to go to the hospital, do you?? Rei, you remember what signs to look for, what I can't treat?" As they walked, the sun was rising, cicadas chirping.

The priestess continued a few silent steps before shaking her head. "I think it's probably okay."

A small relief flooded the shortest woman. "Okay, then we'll go to my place." Makoto didn't bother to respond, probably resigned to the fact the other two would insist on deciding her fate. Ami smiled. She didn't feel bad making those decisions for others. She didn't take any chances.

Rei and Makoto both entered the back, bench seat, seeming poised to easily sleep the entire way if left to their devices.

“Rei-chan… If you think it’s possible she hit her head, just keep her awake if you can — I’d need to keep an eye on her,” Ami, sympathetically hesitant to postpone either of their well-earned rest, instructed with a glance to the rear-view mirror.

“ _I_ … I’m not sure. Actually… yeah, I think,” the brunette, at first groaning reluctantly, adequately answered for herself for the first time unprompted — _probably a good sign._

The wiped priestess nodded, shaking her own head to rouse herself enough to comply; as they wove through freeways and eventually residential blocks Rei nudged her lolling companion awake whenever she drifted off, repeatedly coaxing her conscious enough to return small talk. The two of them stirred to greater alertness and lucidity when the car stopped, now put in park.

"Hey..." Ami leaned back gently.

Rei rubbed her eyes with a stress-saturated sigh and then assisted in going inside. Thankfully Ami's apartment possessed an elevator, so they didn't need to go up _two_ flights of stairs.

In the safety of Ami's small home, her friends' adrenaline seemed to crash further. Rei sunk into a kitchen chair, appearing to enter deep into thought, and Makoto looked like she wanted to either cry or sleep for fifteen hours, supporting herself against the furniture.

"So what happened??" Ami looked from the zoned-out Shinto priestess to the brunette. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Mrm, _please_ don't make me right now..." Makoto begged, leaning on Ami's bedroom door frame, hissing as she prodded her left side. "Terrible fucking night. There was a shitty dude. Also I _may_ develop a phobia of snakes now." She averted her eyes to the floor. "That enough for now?" she spoke, bitterly.

As Ami moved to offer her shoulder to lean on, she looked to her better-faring friend for a response; Rei, who was looking on with a glazed look, concerned, suddenly smiled with tired resignation, standing and making a move toward the med student's coffee maker. Facing away, the darker-haired girl leaned on the counter with a sigh, rubbing her temple. "I'll tell you everything I know once we're caffeinated."

Not wanting to press it further, Ami helped her taller friend into the bedroom. "I'll come check you for injuries in just a few minutes. You can crash in my bed, of course!"

"Thanks!" Makoto muttered, smiling.

"Do you... want to take a quick shower first?" Ami asked, suddenly eyeballing her clean sheets with a slight degree of alarm.

"Uhmm... maybe..." the brunette offered, despite appearing likelier to pass out where she stood.

Ami shook her head quickly, embarrassed at her brief lapse of priorities. "Sorry! Never mind then... I'll just get you different clothes."

After helping her friend change into some shapeless but comfortable old pajamas, Ami confiscated a set of very stylish yet rather ripped and incredibly dirt-stained clothing, and one totaled flip phone, which she set aside in her kitchen in a sad little pile.

Once Makoto had practically face-planted in her bed, with some assistance, and Ami was back out in the main room, she muttered quietly to herself, "What a shame if this has to be thrown away," gazing at the crushed little mobile device.

Rei burst out laughing. "So do you throw all your broken computers a funeral?"





End file.
